Improvement in machines for making wooden boxes



2 Sheets--Sheet1.

J. D. CRAIG.

lmproverhent in Machines for Making Wooden Boxes.

Patented July 16,1872.

, fiz awzZaz I 2Sheets--Sheet2. J D. CRAIG.

. Improvement in Machines for Making Wooden Boxes.

N0.129,462, Patentedluly16,1872.

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, Pl Q I d h a F 1 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES 1). CRAIG, or NILES, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING WOODEN BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 129,462, dated July 16,1872.

g SPECIFICATION. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. D. CRAIG, of Niles, in the county of Berrien andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMachines for Making Wooden Boxes, &c. and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon which form a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a machine for making wooden boxes or other hollow woodenware, as willbe hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled'in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referrin g to the annexed drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan view, and Fig. 3 an enlargedlongitudinal ver-- tical section, of my machine. Figs. 4 to 7 aredetached views of certain parts thereof, enlarged.

Arepresents the frame of mymachine, transversely in the center of whichis a shaft, B. This shaft is provided with a worm, a, gearing into acog-wheel, b, upon another shaft, 0, which runs lengthwise through theframe. These two shafts are the two main drivingshafts from which motionis communicated to the various parts of the machine, the power beingapplied to the shaft B. From the center outward toward each end themachine is exactly a duplicate, except in a few particulars hereinafterto be mentioned, so that in the description of the machine it must beunderstood that there are the same parts on both sides of the center.The wood for the boxes is first to be turned in a lathe the desiredsize, and of any desired length-four, six, eight, or ten feet-as may beconvenient. The wood is then placed in concave rollers D D in the upperpart of the frame, near the center, which rollers are connected bysuitable cog-wheels, and one of the rollers moved, so as to feed thewood the proper length, by a ratchet-wheel, d, and

' boxes.

pawl e, this pawl being attached to a pivoted arm, f, and said armoperated by another arm, G, from an eccentric, E, on the shaft 0. Theouter end of the arm f is slotted, so that the arm Gr attached in saidslot may be moved out from and in toward the center, thereby regulatingthe length of the feed, and hence the length of the box. Between therollers D D and the jaws which receive and hold the wood there is aring, g, through which the stick passes to guide it into the jaw andsteady it while being sawed. This guide-ring, on a full-sized machine,will be fastened by a set-screw, so as to be adjusted to different-sizedsticks for different-sized H represents a six-armed wheel attached to ashaft, I, placed above and parallel with the shaft B, and capable ofsliding backward and forward in its bearings. To the outer end of eacharm of the wheel H is attached a stationary jaw, J, and a movable j aw,J, which latter is held against the stationary jaw by a spring, h. Thestationary jaw should be attached by screws, so as to be readily removedand replaced by another when desired to make boxes of diiferent size. Inlike manner the movable jaw is pivoted by a screw, so that it canreadily be exchanged for another.- This shaft I with its wheel and jawsis moved in and out at the proper times by an eccentric, E on the shaft0, from which an arm, K, extends to and connects, in a slot, with apivoted lever, L. The upper end of this lever is forked and works in agroove on the hub of the wheel. This device is only on one side of themachine and not duplicated. The shaft I, with the wheel and jaws, isrevolved onesixth of a revolution at each revolution of the shaft 0 bythe following means: On the shaft 0 is a cam, E which raises an uprightsliding bar, M, once during each revolution of the shaft, and as soon asthe cam ceases to operate on said sliding bar a spring, 5, throws itdownward again. To this sliding bar is attached a pawl, k, whichoperates a ratchetwheel, m, provided with a collar passing through theinner bearing for the shaft I, and through which collar said shaftpasses. This collar and shaft are connected by the usual feather andgroove, so that when the ratchetwheel is turned by the pawl the shaftalso will be turned, while the shaft is allowed tozmove in and out inthe same. This device also is only on one side of the center and notduplicated. As the wheel moves inward one jaw,

on each side of the center, is opened by an arm, n, projecting from alever, 12, which works on the collar of the ratchet-wheel m. This lever10 is held in its place by a washer, which is to be screwed onto theaforesaid collar. From one end of the lever 1) depends a bar, N, whichmoves in a guide on the frame, and is operated by a cam, E on the shaft0. This device for operating the lever 12 is only on one side of thecenter and not duplicated. The cam E through the bar N, raises the lever19 to open the jaws as soon as the jaws get engaged with guides 1"attached to the frame, and releases it as soon as the forward movementis completed, thus clamping and holding the end of the stick by means ofthe spring 71. operating upon the movable jaw. At the same time the saw0 is moved forward, cutting ofi the stick, and the saw is just farenough behind in its forward movement so as to finish cutting throughthe stick before the wheel with the jaws commences running backward. Atthis stage of the operation there are thus two sticks held in the wheelH, or rather in two of the six sets of jaws attached to said wheel, oneof which sticks is to form the box itself and the other the cover to thesame, the difi'erence in the length of said sticks being caused byunequal speed of the two feeding mechanisms, one on each side of thecenter of the machine. The saw 0 is mounted upon a shaft, P, placed insuitable bearings upon a carriage, R, which slides back and forth uponthe frame A. The saw-shaft P runs through arms S, which extend downward,and through their lower ends passes a counter-shaft, T, Thiscountershaft receives its rotating motion by a belt from the shaft B,and communicates motion by another belt to the saw-shaft. In order thatthe counter-shaft may be at all times the same distance from the sawshaft, the boxes 8 of the counter-shaft move in slots tin the frame,which are on a circle, the center being the driving-shaft B. Thesaw-carriage R is moved forward at the proper time by means of a cam, Eon the end of the shaft 0, which operates upon an arm, V, extending froma shaft, '0, in the frame. From the same shaft two other arms, W, extendupward, the upper ends of which are forked and straddle a rod, 10, inthe carriage. As soon as the cam E ceases to operate on or has passed bythe arm V, a spring, X, throws the whole, includin g the saw-carriage,back into its former position. At the same time as the saw is thus,after finishing its work, moved back, the jaws also move back, and assoon as they are disengaged from the guides 1' the shaft I is turned onesixth around by means of the ratchetwheel m, which movement brings thepieces of wood held by the jaws opposite bits y. As the shaft againmoves forward these bits bore them, they being attached to mandrelsconnected in suitable manner by belts with the driving-shaft B, fromwhich they thus receive their motion. From the very nature of the 'donetwo other pieces of wood are inserted in the next two sets of jaws, andcut off by the saws in the same manner as already described. The nextturn of the wheel brings the incom: pleted box and cover in front ofother bits 2, which take a thin chip, and finish them. These bits areinserted in mandrels run from the mandrels of the bits 3 by suitablebelts. While this is being done the second set of pieces is being boredout, and a third set sawed off and inserted in the third and last set ofjaws. When the wheel H revolves by means of the ratchet-wheel m, asabove described, it has only accomplished about two-thirds of itsbackward movement, and as it finishes this movement it moves into guidesa and b b and against two punches, d d, attached tothe frame A.

The guide a steadies the wheel and pre vents its revolving, while theother two, b I), open the jaws, and the punches d (1 push the box andcover out forward, there being openings made in the outer ends of thearms of the wheel opposite to the wheel for that purpose.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The ring 9, arranged, as described, between the feeding rollers andthe receivingjaws, for guiding and steadying the stick of .wood,substantially as herein set forth.

2. The six-armed wheel H, placed upon the sliding shaft I, and carryingupon each arm a stationary jaw, J, a movable jaw, J, and a spring, h,substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The arrangement of the eccentric E arm K, and slotted lever L,pivoted at its lower end and its upper end forked, and working in agroove on the hub of the wheel H, for movin g said wheel and shaft Iback and forth, substantially as herein set forth.

4.. The oscillating lever 19, provided with projecting arms n n, andoperated by means of the bar N and cam E substantially as and for thepurposes herein set forth.

5. The guides 7', arranged, as described, for steadying the wheel Hwhile completing its forward movement, as herein set forth.

6. The arrangement of the cam E arm V, In testimony that I claim theforegoing as shaft '12, forked arms W, rod 10, and spring f, my own Iaiiix my signature in presence of for operating the saw-oarriage,substantially two witnesses.

as herein set forth. JAMES D. CRAIG, M. D.

7. The guides a and b b, for steadying the Witnesses:

wheel H and opening the jaws J substantial- CLEMENT L. BARRON,

y as herein set forth. ROBERT FOWLER.

